Yo Dawg, I Heard You Like Parades….

I think I can blame Gordon Lamb for my complete love of the annual Athens Downtown Parade of Lights. His enthusiasm about the event never ceases to amaze me. It’s infectious and darn it if I haven’t been looking forward to tonight’s parade all year. The bands, the floats, the customary coffee stop, the stuffing my hands in my jacket pockets in a desperate attempt to stay warm…

There’s something so heartwarming, and yes, a little cheesy, about a town parade. The cheesiness kinda depends on the size and humor of your town but there’s an inherent sweetness in the Athens Christmas parade that makes me smile despite freezing my tail off. Nothing quite like watching little kids dancing and laughing and having a good ol’ time while their parents chase the marshmallow looking tykes around. Ah, holidays.

All of the holiday cheer kicks off at 7 p.m. on Dougherty Street. Keep an eye out for the ATHFEST float, the Star Wars Legion (wait, what?!), and the WUOG band type thing. Some of us will be camped out in the usual spot, hopefully we’ll see you there. If our eyelids haven’t frozen shut, that is.